Japanese task-force doctrine pushed considerable responsibility down to ship commanders conducting attrition operations. That tactical initiative sat within a rank culture in which formations that Western navies might give to commodores or rear admirals were often led by Japanese vice admirals. Captains nevertheless trained intensively for independent night action, torpedo attack, and destroyer warfare. The result was a tension between senior-heavy formal command and demanding lower-level tactical employment.
Notable Point · 2:02:39-2:05:14
Japanese captains carried initiative under a senior-heavy command system
Japanese doctrine placed major tactical demands on cruiser and destroyer captains even while larger commands remained concentrated in more senior ranks.